Springtime Questions Abound

BEING BOB BURTON: For a long time, ever since he took the reins at Moore Corp. and whipped it into shape, I’d relished the thought of interviewing Robert Burton, he of World Color fame and known throughout the industry for making chicken salad out of chicken crap.

In fact, it was a done deal. Burton and Moore Corp. would grace the cover of our February issue. A personal rep for Burton took the train to Philly for a lunch overview with myself and Editor-in-Chief Mark Michelson. This was exciting; Burton had a reputation of being a hardscrabble manager; a badass who unflinchingly made the tough calls when it came time to cut away gristle from the tenderloin. We would ask him some tough questions and pull no punches when it comes to asking him how many eggs he breaks while making his omelet.

While people mostly only want to see the baby, I was willing to learn about the labor pains. That’s far more interesting than reading bland forward-looking statements.

And then, Burton was gone.

Burton abruptly exited Moore Corp., where he was quickly replaced by Mark Angelson. It was rumored that Burton would resurface with Quebecor World. Alas, it was not to be.

I felt like Captain Ahab. The big one had eluded me. No colorful stories about cracking skulls from the former college football player (on the field or in the conference room). No secrets behind his success in tripling Moore’s stock value in two years. No chance to learn whether the tales were true or only part of his lore.

One thing’s for sure—he’ll be back.

BEING SUZANNE WHANG: The aforementioned hosts the cable television show “House Hunters” on the Home & Garden Television (HGTV) channel. It is an entertaining and interesting journey in the quest to find, and successfully bid on, a new home.